Jesus is Greater Than Your Idols
Notes
Transcript
Today, we are continuing our series called Jesus is Greater.
Does anyone know what an idol is? When we think of idols we think of small statues that people worship. The truth is an idol can be anything that people place above their relationship with God.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
This is one of the 10 commandments that God created in His word. He wrote it on the tablets that Moses brought down from Mount Carmel. It is written on images that we hang in our house. It is something that all of us should live by, but some of us have issues living by this simple commandment.
The church at Colosse had issues with this and Paul addresses them in chapter 2 of Colossians. Go with me to the book of Colossians and turn to chapter 2. I want to begin reading at verse 6.
As you are turning, I want to remind you that we have bible study on Wednesday nights. Pastor Bill teaches this class and if you are wanting to grow in your walk with the Lord, you need to be here.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:
21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.
23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
If you look at how Paul begins this passage beginning in verse 6.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
The word rooted in both places is a horticultural term. The word established here in this Ephesians verse is an architectural term meaning founded. The follower of Jesus “being rooted” in the revelation of God’s love in Christ is like a plant with deep roots in the soil. “Being established” in His love is like a building with a strong foundation laid on a solid rock.
Both metaphors, or word pictures, symbolize a deep relationship as opposed to a shallow relationship. These symbols also convey that revelation of “the love of Christ” is necessary for a deep, solid relationship that is expressed in powerful ways for God’s honor.
God wants you to have a deep rooted revealing knowledge of who He is. If you don’t know Him, then get to know Him. The only way that you will not be swayed by all the noise out there is to have a deep rooted relationship with Jesus. And when you allow idols to come into your life, those idols can loosen the roots that you have established.
Then Paul warns against deceptive philosophy. Look at verse 8- 10 again.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Do you know what the fastest growing religion in America is? According to the statistics it is Muslim religion. But I believe there is one that is growing faster than that. They don’t necessarily call themselves a religion. It appears in all different kinds of form. But it is one of the greatest philosophical threats to true Bible-based Christianity. It is spreading fast. It is in your schools. It is on your television sets. It is in your universities. It is in your churches. It is what we call secular humanism.
Humanism is a Thought System Based on the Values, Characteristics and Behaviors that are Believed to be Best in Human Beings Rather than Any Supernatural Authority.
Humanism is a Thought System Based on the Values, Characteristics and Behaviors that are Believed to be Best in Human Beings Rather than Any Supernatural Authority.
What does the philosophy of humanism teach?
It teaches that humanity, the universe and all that exists consist only of matter and energy shaped into their present form by natural physical forces and impersonal chance.
It teaches that humans have not been created by a personal God, but are the product of a random process of evolution.
It rejects belief in a personal, all-powerful and infinite God and denies that the Bible is God’s inspired revelation to the human race.
It claims that knowledge does not exist apart from human discovery and that human reason determines correct ethics of society. This makes human beings the highest authority.
It seeks to modify or improve human behavior through education, economic policies, organization, redistribution of resources, modern psychology or human wisdom.
It teaches that moral standards are not absolute. An absolute is true and valid for all people, in all situations for all time. They teach that instead moral standards are relative. It is dependent on the person’s own beliefs and circumstances. Their standards of behavior are determined by what makes people happy. Their standards of behavior are determined by what brings them pleasure or seems good for society according tot he goals set by its leaders. And as a result of this Biblical values and morality are rejected.
It considers human self-fulfillment, satisfaction and pleasure to be the highest good in life.
It maintains that people should learn to cope with death and the difficulties in life without belief in or dependence on God.
And this philosophy isn’t new. It began a long time ago. It began with Satan and is an expression of Satan’s lie that humans can be like God.
5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The Bible identifies humanists as those who have...
25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
And I’m telling you this so that you understand what we need to do. We must do our absolute best to protect our children and anyone else that we come in contact with from this humanist doctrine. We must expose these lies and we must instill in our children a godly contempt for this destructive influence. And we must instruct our kids clearly in the truth of God’s revelation as found in the Bible.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
You must get in the word!!!
You need to know scripture. Read it daily. Know what it says. Memorize it day and night. The Word of God is your greatest weapon and with it you will be able to proclaim Jesus is greater.
We must destroy any idols that try to take over our life. The only way that we will not be swayed by any false idols is to get in the word of God and know what it says. And don’t just take my word for it. You need to study it for yourself. If there is only one thing you do, make sure that you, at the very least, read the verse of the day each day. There are apps that will send it to your phone. You can sign up for emails that will send you the verse of the day. Get the word of God in your life. Meditate on it. Make it a part of your daily routine.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
The Colossian church was battling some of the same issues that we face today. People were coming up to them and telling them things they were supposed to do that they didn’t have to do because they had, as Paul puts it, “died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world.”
There are no works that we have to do to gain the Love of God. If you use God’s laws to gain spiritual salvation or favor with God, that is called legalism.
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were guilty of the sin of legalism. They were relying on their routines and head knowledge and were trying to do stuff to reach favor with God. But Jesus came on the scene and was trying to tell them that they needed to work on their relationship with God. And they hated Him for it. That is why they crucified Him.
They appeared outwardly to live right and seek what pleases God, but inwardly they have no real love for Him.
Legalism is just as bad as humanism. To say you are doing something and then do the opposite of what you are saying is lying. Legalism has to do with the person’s motive for following God and His purposes. Any motive that does not flow out of a true and active faith in Christ and the desire to obey and please Him is legalism. Legalism often involves man-made regulations.
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
But also we need to be careful, the fact that we need not follow outward physical regulations such as circumcision or food restrictions does not excuse us from living by the moral standards of God’s commands. Following the commands does not save us spiritually, however, if we are truly saved and in a right relationship with God, we will obey His commands out of love and gratitude to Christ and because they are good and right.
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
It is time that we bring Jesus to the forefront of everything we do and we need to give Him praise. Praise Him in the morning. Praise Him in the noon time and Praise Him when the sun goes down.
Jesus is greater and than any idols that may come up in your life. He is your savior and lord and He conquered all things.